Hanging in the Balance
by Coneflower Adams
Summary: After falling through a wormhole, Dr. Nicholas Rush finds himself in a curious world: a world of magic
1. Chapter 1: A World Like No Other

_Writer's Note: This was a plot bunny DDagent had that she wanted written but didn't have time to write it herself. So, I adopted it! It's my first Rushbelle fic and also my first attempt at Dr. Rush. Hopefully I'll get him right!_

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**Chapter 1: A World like No Other**

Dr. Nicholas Rush peered around in disbelief at the place where only moments before he had materialized from. It wasn't a Stargate that had brought him here. Never in his travels had he encountered a wormhole, but the last planet he'd stepped foot on had just that.

A green, swirling vortex opened the ground after a curiously transparent bean fell from TJ's hand. She and Rush had nearly fallen in, both clinging to roots in the ground, winds as strong as a hurricane bashed them about. Young had only one choice on who to save, and Rush knew instantly it would be TJ. The look of resolve on Young's face was the last thing he saw before his hold on the ground faltered and he was falling into nothingness.

The forest floor Rush so harshly dropped onto was not covered in soft leaves but hard ground, and he collided with a rotting log that truly hadn't rotted long enough. A string of curses echoed through the trees, sending birds scattering.

All Rush could see was an expansive of forest with no end in sight. He breathed in deep, moving his leg that had slammed into the fallen log. He growled lowly, his knee throbbing as he tried to stand. An unknown planet with no defense on his person was no place to be injured.

Rush hobbled a few steps, testing his injured leg. He could walk, but for how long on a throbbing knee? He had the slightest clue where even to start walking. There was no sign of civilization anywhere around him. Raising his eyes to the sun, he began to follow it, hoping it'd lead him to some form of life.

Barely ten minutes had passed and his knee throbbed so badly, he halted to lean against a tree, trying desperately to focus his mind on the last mathematical problems he was working on Destiny. The distraction would be welcomed, but his mind was clouded by circumstance and he stayed there half bent against the wide trunk.

A harsh sound ripped through the forest, what could only be described as a guttural animal noise. Rush's breath caught as his whole body went rigid. He wasn't alone in this forest. Whatever was out there sounded gigantic and dangerous and his heart nearly beat from his chest as he scanned the immediate area for any place to hide.

Finding a hiding place was hopeless. He was a sitting duck in a lake of trees that would provide no shelter from the growling being that was headed his way. He cursed his injured knee, cursed the whole forsaken planet he was stranded on, and most of all, cursed Young for letting him fall through the wormhole.

The thunder of enormous feet drew closer, and Rush decided to run. Whether he escaped being caught or not, at least he didn't just stand there and let the monstrous alien swallow him whole.

He'd hobbled only a few feet when the ripping tree limbs cued the creature's presence. Rush quickly glanced over his shoulder, his mind hardly able to think at the sight of a nearly ten foot, leather-skinned creature staring down at him.

He was doomed. He could see his own death reflected in the eyes of the monstrous being. He'd be torn to pieces and no one would ever know his fate. He'd be lost in legend aboard an alien ship that depended on his talents to survive. All that work on the Destiny was lost. What he thought was his guaranteed fate was not to be.

Rush's knee crumpled under him, spending him sprawled helplessly on the forest floor as the creature loomed over him, it's hot breath steamed down upon him.

Rush bowed his head, curling into a ball, praying to anything that would listen to spare his life from this horrid doom.

He barely heard a shout from beyond the creature, and before Rush knew it, the monstrous being was dashing away from him. Rush snapped up his head in time to see the creature crash a short distance from him. It lay lifeless between the tree trunks. He trembled from head to toe, a surreal feeling surrounding him.

He was saved.

A man clad in war-torn armor was suddenly in his sights, holding out a hand for Rush to accept. Rush stared at the offered help still shocked at the events that just took place. "Are you hurt, sir?" the armored man asked when Rush still hadn't accepted his hand.

Rush nodded slowly, swallowing to coat his parched throat. "Yes" he replied hoarsely then cleared his throat. "My knee is injured."

The armored man bent to one knee, gesturing for Rush to sit up. He wrapped an arm underneath Rush's armpits, helping him gently to his feet. Another soldier appeared out of nowhere, pulling a horse behind him.

"I am Sir Gaston," the man introduced loftily with an air of confidence. "My company will take you to the medic at the castle."

"Castle?" Rush choked out. Pieces of the puzzle finally fit together. The armor clad soldiers riding horses en route to a castle. Did he time travel to some strange alternate medieval era?

"Yes," Sir Gaston answered solidly. "Where do you reside, sir?"

"Nowhere near here," Rush mumbled more to himself, but Sir Gaston did hear him and watched him with narrowed eyes. Rush caught the look, hoping these men were accustom to strange occurrences. How could they not be with something so huge and scary running around? "I'm from another space in time."

"You are a time sorcerer?"

Rush nearly rolled his eyes at the assumption. "No, a scientist." He would have elaborated, but he could tell these men would not understand the complexity of his status.

"The King will wish to meet you, scientist," Sir Gaston stated, and he gestured for Rush to climb aboard the horse supplied for him. He'd never ridden a horse in his life, much less climb atop of one. But the soldiers seemed patient in helping him up as carefully as possible. "We must be away before more ogres come sniffing about."

Dr. Nickolas Rush, stuck on a planet where mythological creatures roamed, men dressed as knights hunted, magic was real, and technology was most likely inexistent.

Rush cursed the very idea.


	2. Chapter 2: The King's Court

**Chapter 2: The King's Court**

Dr. Nick Rush hadn't paid close attention in school when it came to History class. His mind was wrapped up in science and mathematics. He had no time to learn about the ups and downs of the people who came before him. Only historical scientist caught his interest, but that was only to figure out how to improve on what they added to the science world.

As he rode awkwardly through the forest on horseback, tentatively eyeing the soldiers riding before him, he wished he had heeded history better. What little he knew of the medieval era was mostly steeped in stereotypical knowledge. Knights in shining armor. Maidens in pointy, cone-shaped hats. Joisting. Minstrels playing lutes. Truly, he knew little of what to expect from his current situation.

The soldiers remained quiet on the journey, most likely to keep an ear out for any more of those creatures – ogres, Sir Gaston called them. A clearing and a visible path finally appeared, and only minutes later a village in the distance. Rush was surprised by the sturdy, wooden houses with stone chimney, half-expected huts or the sort. The people of the village ran to the road, cheering for the soldiers and tossing flowers before them as they passed. He wondered if the ogre had been terrorizing their village.

In the distance, the spirals of a castle reached toward the sky. Rarely had he seen Destiny from afar, but the few times he was given the opportunity, its beauty holding ancient secrets of technology had been breathtaking. As they drew closer, he did admire the lovely architecture of the castle, even if it were primitive and all.

A long, narrow stable sat off to the side of the castle and that is where they ended their journey. Rush stumbled backwards as he climbed off the horse, his legs unused to the form and his knee worse for wear. A soldier was there beside him, and steadied him before he could fall.

Dr. Nick Rush was a proud man, at least in the sight of others, and he pushed away any help as Sir Gaston led him into the castle. The interior was half what he expected. Stone walls, fine tapestries, lush velvet curtains. But there was also a dustiness about the castle like the worn feeling that had accompanied parts of Destiny.

After a treacherous climb up a harrowing flight of spiral stairs, they halted before a pair of heavy wooden doors. Rush sucked in a sharp breath as his knee throbbed restlessly. He needed something to dull the pain, but these people probably used some backwards old medical practices that he didn't trust no more than the whole crew on Destiny.

He and Sir Gaston were admitted beyond the doors, entering into a massive room occupied by several men in robes and armor. A lengthy wooden table holding strategy pieces and a think parchment map stood off to the side. The men gathered about the room parted, revealing a man dressed in velvet and some sort of crown rested on his head. He stood rigidly, one hand behind his back, the other gripping the fanciest high-back chair Rush had ever seen.

"What news, Sir Gaston?" the man inquired as Gaston strode up to him, cape flapping behind him as if he were some damn superhero.

Sir Gaston bowed, though it did nothing to lower his looming stature. "Sire, my company has brought down an ogre toward the East passed Delacroix."

"Very good." The man - the king of this land, Rush assumed – laid eyes on him for the first time. Rush gazed back, trying with what little strength he had left, to appear larger than life. "Who is this?"

"Dr. Nicholas Rush," he answered with pride through gritted teeth.

"We found him in the forest being pursued by the ogre," Sir Gaston added in that military tone Rush despised.

"I am Sir Maurice of the Marchlands," the man at the throne introduced. The title told Rush very little. Apparently the man wasn't a king. Maybe the king was away or dead or who cares. All Rush wished to do was be back on Destiny at his beloved controls without a throbbing knee. "Who are you, Dr. Nicholas Rush?"

"I am scientist," Rush replied slowly, pronouncing every word with an air of haughtiness. "A portal brought me to this world through unfortunate circumstances." At those words, Rush cursed Young for the thousandth time in his head. "All I want is to find a way back to my own world."

A sound of fabric rustling caught Rush's attention, and for the first time he noticed a woman in the room. She wore a silk green gown, cut just off her shoulders and making the neckline swoop down to her bosom. He didn't realize he was staring at her until their eyes connected, a deep, shining blue piercing him.

"A scientist from another world-" Sir Maurice pondered aloud, drawing Rush's attention from the lovely distraction. "Is that a type of sorcerer?"

Rush gritted his teeth, rolling his eyes in aggravation. "No, I do not do silly magic," he spat as if talking to an ignorant child, "A scientist is a person who studies bodies of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws." Heaving a sigh, Rush breathed in deep and gestured toward the doors. "Can I get something for this damn pain in my knee?"

"You are injured?" a new voice filled the room and Rush stared blankly at the woman by Sir Maurice's side.

"Yes," he huffed, feeling his strength leave him in droves.

"Papa, I will escort our guest to the physician." Rush heard the name the woman called Sir Maurice, but it barely registered. Gentle hands wrapped around his forearm and those shining eyes obscured his view of the stone floor. "Come with me, Dr. Nicholas Rush," the woman said soothingly.

Rush let himself be led out the room, gentle hands and a soft body to lean upon.


End file.
